Chapter 3: Seizing the Spotlight

With Ko Eun-hyuk’s performance, the <Youth 2015> audition came to an end.

“Good work today. If you pass, you’ll be contacted through the assistant director.”

“Thank you for your effort.”

Ko Eun-hyuk rushed to a corner, pressed his head against the wall, and began muttering self-reproachfully, as if casting a spell.

“…That kind of acting.”

Though I couldn’t hear clearly, he seemed deeply dissatisfied with his performance.

Well, even Director Kim Ha-shin couldn’t hide his shock at Ko Eun-hyuk’s terrible acting—terrible in a bad way.

“I shouldn’t cry…” Ko Eun-hyuk muttered, tears streaming down his face.

‘Wait, Ko Eun-hyuk is crying?’

There was a reason his tears surprised me.

In my previous life, he’d always said during award speeches:

“I’m so happy now, I don’t cry anymore…”

Hearing that, I’d wondered what happened in his past. Turns out, he cried a lot as a rookie.

Not wanting to embarrass him, I pretended not to notice and headed for the elevator to go home. But, just my luck, our eyes locked as he wiped his tears.

“…Hey,” he called out to me, his eyes red.

“Yes, me?” I replied.

“Yeah.”

Why was he calling me?

I glanced around and stepped back slightly, staring at him.

“Why me?”

“You were at the audition earlier, right?”

“Oh, yes…”

“I saw you smirk at the end of your improv. I was wondering why you did that.”

The reason for my smirk during the improv was simple.

“If a victim just takes it, they seem pitiful. If it were me, I’d want revenge.”

“Oh, I see…”

He repeated my words as if reciting a mantra, like he was deeply moved.

It seemed he still had more to say, as his lips twitched.

When the elevator’s arrival chime sounded, he spoke up.

“I just thought… maybe we could say hi if we meet again…”

“No way.”

Why was he beating around the bush?

‘Does he want to be friends with me?’

I furrowed my brow and crossed my arms. Ko Eun-hyuk frantically waved his hands in denial.

“N-No, it’s not like I’m hitting on you, Im Bada-ssi…”

“What are you talking about?”

I cut him off to say what I needed to.

“You want to be friends with me? Why?”

“Huh?”

I had a hunch. Right now, he’s bad at acting, so he might want someone to lean on. And I happened to catch his eye.

Before my PTSD, when I acted with other aspiring actors, I often heard things like:

“Bada! It’s weird, but when I act with you, I feel like I do better!”

“I saw your acting! I want to act with you!”

I’d even been offered a short-term teaching gig at an acting academy.

But I didn’t think I was qualified to teach anyone, so I turned it down.

“…No, it’s not that,” Ko Eun-hyuk said, his face turning red.

“No? Then why me?”

“…Just, you know, if we meet again, I thought we could say hi.”

He just wanted to exchange greetings? I’d misunderstood him.

“Okay. If we meet again.”

“…Uh, yeah.”

But would we even meet again?

★★★

As soon as I got home and lay on my bed, a window popped up in front of me, announcing the completion of my sub-quest.

[Sub-Quest ‘Audition for <Youth 2015> as an Extra’ has been completed.]

[Reward acquired.]

[Points: 1]

How do I use points?

I waved my hand, poking at the status window. A new window appeared, glowing with white light.

[Im Bada]

Appearance: B ▲

Acting: B ▲

Immersion: C ▲

Vocal Delivery: D ▲

Charisma: F ▲

Affinity: C ▲

[Points can be used to increase stat grades.]

‘Hmm. Should I start by boosting Acting, the most important one?’

I used my 1 point on Acting as a test. A notification chimed.

[Im Bada]

Acting: B+

It went up! Would raising stats change my acting?

“…Status window?”

Is that what I call it?

“Why do I need to raise stats?”

[To return to your original state.]

‘Original state? What does that mean?’

[If you raise your stats to ‘S,’ you can regain the acting ability you had before regression.]

So, no matter how hard I try, without raising stats, I’m stuck at a ‘B’ level?

[It’s the karma of regression.]

“All I can do is sigh…”

Karma, huh. I went to an extra audition community and searched for <Youth 2015>.

[[Completed] Seeking student extras for <Youth 2015>]

The [Completed] tag meant they’d already cast the extras.

Ugh, I didn’t make it…

Director Kim Ha-shin likely wanted extras who didn’t stand out too much. I should’ve toned down my acting.

I stared at the <Youth 2015> post, long since closed.

‘It’s a bit disappointing.’

Being an extra in <Youth 2015> would’ve been great experience.

Oh well, it’s over. Pushing aside my regret, I started looking for other extra audition postings.

Then, my phone buzzed with a message from an unexpected person.

[Haejin: Bada! Bada!]

Yeom Hae-jin, a friend from my university theater club. Why was she contacting me?

[Haejin: There’s an extra spot open for a drama in production. Wanna try it?]

Yeom Hae-jin, extra, drama. Those three words pieced together fragments of memory like a puzzle.

I remembered now—she did contact me around this time. But I’d turned it down because I had another audition scheduled.

“…This is an opportunity.”

I knew exactly what this drama was.

[Me: What drama is it?]

[Haejin: It’s called <the life of a prosecutor>! The role you’d play is Jo Arin. She’s a righteous, stubborn character. If you’re in, I’ll send you the script via email.]

[Me: But is it okay to join so suddenly? I don’t think I’ll have enough time to memorize the script.]

[Haejin: No, no! There aren’t many lines. Jo Arin is a role with selective mutism after a traumatic shock. (Crying emoji)]

I was thrilled at the thought of being able to act, but I wondered if I was really suited for this role.

[Me: Are you sure I can do it?]

[Haejin: Yes, yes, of course! Please save me. The actor I cast suddenly bailed. Please.]

[Me: Okay, Haejin, I’ll do it.]

What perfect timing.

In my past life, there were so many days when I wanted to act but couldn’t. I felt a little giddy.

Soon, Yeom Hae-jin sent me the location, time, and a PDF of the script for episode 7.

[The Life of a Prosecutor, Episode 7]

“…The Life of a Prosecutor.”

In my previous life, I knew <the life of a prosecutor> as a drama that gained popularity through word of mouth and high ratings.

Even 10 years later, it was still hailed as a well-made drama, retaining its popularity.

I went to a community and searched for <the life of a prosecutor>. Since episode 1 had just aired, there were promotional posts.

[[The Life of a Prosecutor] Why the sly prosecutor sheds tears. JPG]

– Please, just watch until episode 2 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– Episode 1 of Prosecutor Life isn’t great, but it gets fun from episode 2.

– Prosecutor Life. The male lead is so cool~^^

– This Prosecutor Life guy lost his parents as a kid because of a prosecutor and was adopted elsewhere. He grew up loved but never forgot his revenge and became a prosecutor.

To survive in this dirty world, he became sly. ㅠㅠㅠㅠ His real personality is serious and quiet. And in every scene, he forces a smile, remembering his parents always told him to smile…

ㅠㅠㅠ People say it’s awkward, but I watched the whole drama, and it didn’t feel awkward. No spoilers beyond this…

– Insane backstory, holy sht!*

– This drama seems to be carried by Cheon Ian’s acting, huh?

– Cheon Ian’s acting is unreal ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– Wow… I want to watch it now.

<the life of a prosecutor> took off starting from episode 2.

Joining a drama just as it was gaining traction brought a wave of pressure.

I thought coming back to the past would make me fearless. I’d just do the acting I love.

But returning felt like living a brand-new life.

When I opened the script for <the life of a prosecutor>, a sub-quest window popped up.

[Sub-Quest activated.]

[Sub-Quest: Make an impression as an extra in The Life of a Prosecutor.]

[Reward: 2 Points]

What did it mean to “make an impression”?

“How am I supposed to make an impression?”

‘Is it because of Cheon Ian, the actor in the drama?’

Cheon Ian was famous for pulling talented rookie actors into his dramas whenever he spotted them.

To gather more info, I opened my old, sluggish laptop and visited the <the life of a prosecutor>

But then.

“…That jerk.”

The assistant director’s name was listed as ‘Kim Jin.’

It’s a common name, but it had to be that Director Kim Jin.

“…Whatever.”

You don’t avoid shit because it’s dirty; you avoid it because you have no choice. He was someone I’d have to face eventually.

But I didn’t have time to dwell on Kim Jin. The real issue was the script.

“I need to check now. I can’t keep taking roles with no lines forever.”

Steeling myself, I opened the scattered Hee-jae script on the table to practice memorizing lines.

At that moment, my mind went blank, and the words seemed to dance on their own. Memories of Kim Jin’s sharp words from my past life flooded back, stabbing at me again.

–How many people are suffering right now because of you, Im Bada-ssi?

-I should’ve brought another actor instead.”

-This is why we don’t use rookie actors.

My stomach churned, like motion sickness.

‘No. This time, I’ll show them. To my fans, to everyone, I’ll prove my acting.’

Taking a deep breath, I looked at the script again and realized something had changed.

In my past life, the words moved chaotically, incomprehensible.

Now, with focus, they slowly formed into coherent words.

“It’s better. I can actually read the script…!”

Shock and euphoria.

Those two emotions swirled in my mind. I slowly recited the first line from the Hee-jae script, one I often performed in my university days.

“The only way to comfort yourself is to know yourself well…”

I had to blink and reread it several times, but I could do it. That was something.

Grabbing my hoodie and wallet, I headed out.

First, I’d go to a PC café to print the script.

My steps felt light as I walked to the PC café. It’d been a while since I felt this joyful.

★★★

At a studio designed to resemble a courthouse.

Yeom Hae-jin fidgeted, glancing around nervously.

The reason was simple.

“Who’s coming for the Jo Arin role this time?” someone asked.

Because Cheon Ian had arrived at the studio earlier than Yeom Hae-jin expected. He was usually early, but today he was exceptionally early.

“Uh… a rookie actor,” she replied.

“A rookie? Nice. Coming early means we can rehearse together.”

“They’ll be here soon…”

An anxious Yeom Hae-jin’s legs trembled.

‘This is unexpected.’

If Im Bada was coming, it’d be an hour from now.

If I’d known, I would’ve told her to come earlier. Should I call her now? Just as Yeom Hae-jin turned on her phone to urge her, a voice rang out.

“Hello.”

Im Bada had arrived. Yeom Hae-jin rushed to her, grabbing her shoulders and whispering.

“How are you here so early?”

“Oh,” Im Bada said with a grin.

“Everyone knows Cheon Ian sunbae-nim is famous for arriving early.”